Vehicle Management System

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-008917 filed on January 22, 2025. The disclosure of the above-identified application, including the specification, drawings, and claims, is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle management system.

In recent years, development of a management system that remotely manages operation of a plurality of vehicles (that is, self-driving transport vehicles) capable of moving by unmanned driving has been advanced. For example, Japanese Patent No. 7424535 (JP 7424535 B) discloses a device that remotely controls a mobile object.

In the management system that remotely manages the operation of the self-driving transport vehicles, there is a demand for appropriately managing each self-driving transport vehicle by assuming a case where a camera or the like mounted in each self-driving transport vehicle is temporarily malfunctioning due to an influence of an external disturbance, or the like.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the background, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle management system capable of appropriately managing a plurality of self-driving transport vehicles.

A vehicle management system according to the present disclosure is a vehicle management system including:

a plurality of vehicles configured to move by unmanned driving, and

a management device configured to manage operation of the vehicles, in which each of the vehicles includes an external environment sensor configured to detect a surrounding obstacle.

The management device includes:

a communication unit configured to receive a detection result of the external environment sensor, and

a controller configured to control, based on the detection result of the external environment sensor and a captured image obtained by a first surveillance camera capturing an image of a first area, the operation of the vehicles moving in the first area, and

the controller is configured to control, in a case where a malfunction of the external environment sensor of each of the vehicles moving in the first area is detected, the operation of the vehicles moving in the first area based on the captured image obtained by the first surveillance camera.

The vehicle management system according to the present disclosure determines that, in a case where the malfunction of the external environment sensor of each of the vehicles moving in the first area is detected, the malfunction is temporary due to an external disturbance, such as strong wind or rain, rather than a failure of the external environment sensor, and continues to move the vehicles moving in the first area without stopping the operation, based on the captured image obtained by the first surveillance camera capturing the image of the first area. As a result, productivity of the vehicle is improved, and costs are reduced. That is, the vehicle management system according to the present disclosure can realize appropriate management of the vehicles.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle management system capable of appropriately managing a plurality of self-driving transport vehicles.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that, the embodiments of the disclosure are not limited to the following embodiments. Further, in order to clarify the description, the following description and drawings are appropriately simplified.

1 FIG. 1 FIG. 1 FIG. 50 50 100 50 100 1 2 is a schematic diagram showing a part of a vehicle management systemaccording to Embodiment 1. The vehicle management systemis applied in, for example, a vehicle manufacturing plant that manufactures a vehicle. In the example of, the vehicle management systemmonitors and manages the vehiclesthat move in each of an outdoor area Aand an indoor area A. Note that, in, an XY orthogonal coordinate system is shown for the description.

1 FIG. 50 200 321 322 100 100 100 As shown in, the vehicle management systemincludes a server, a surveillance camera, a surveillance camera, and a plurality of vehicles. Each of the vehiclesis, for example, a self-driving vehicle that can self-drive in a manufacturing step. In other words, each of the vehiclesis, for example, a vehicle configured to move via unmanned driving in a manufacturing step.

100 100 100 Each of the vehiclesis a vehicle before completion. Each of the vehiclesbefore completion is manufactured as a completed product by receiving a predetermined operation from an operator (not shown) or a robot (not shown) in areas of each manufacturing step while each of the vehiclesmoves in a queue along a preset moving route (track). The predetermined operation is, for example, component assembly, a switch operation, welding, or inspection.

100 100 100 100 100 100 200 500 In addition, each of the vehiclesis equipped with an external environment sensor. The external environment sensor includes, for example, an in-vehicle camera that captures the surroundings of the vehicle, a radar that detects an obstacle around the vehicle, and a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) that detects an obstacle around the vehicle. Each of the vehiclesuses the external environment sensor to detect the vehiclein front (or behind) during the queue traveling or to detect other obstacles around the vehicle body. For example, each of the vehiclescaptures the vehiclein front (or behind) during the queue traveling by using an in-vehicle camera that is one of the external environment sensors. Each of the vehicleshas a communication function and transmits the detection result of the external environment sensor (for example, data such as a captured image) to the servervia a network.

321 1 100 321 322 2 100 322 1 FIG. 1 FIG. The surveillance cameracaptures the outdoor area Ain which the vehiclesmove in sequence. In the example of, the surveillance camerais constituted by three cameras. The surveillance cameracaptures the indoor area Ain which the vehiclesmove in sequence. In the example of, the surveillance camerais constituted by three cameras.

200 100 1 321 1 200 100 1 100 1 200 100 2 322 2 200 100 2 100 2 200 100 100 200 100 100 200 The servermonitors and manages the vehiclesmoving in the area Abased on the captured image obtained by the surveillance camerathat captures the area A. In addition, the servermonitors and manages the vehiclesmoving in the area Abased on the detection result, such as the captured image, received from the external environment sensor of each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. In addition, the servermonitors and manages the vehiclesmoving in the area Abased on the captured image obtained by the surveillance camerathat captures the area A. Further, the servermonitors and manages the vehiclesmoving in the area Abased on the detection result, such as the captured image, received from the external environment sensor of each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. For example, the servermonitors whether each of the vehiclesis moving on a predetermined route or monitors whether a predetermined operation is being performed on each of the vehiclesbased on the acquired captured image. Further, the servercontrols the movement of each of the vehicleswhile the position of each of the vehiclesis estimated based on the acquired captured image or the like. The serveris a vehicle management device and is also referred to as a vehicle management system as a standalone device.

50 50 2 FIG. 2 FIG. Next, a control system of the vehicle management systemwill be described with reference to.is a block diagram showing a control system of the vehicle management system.

2 FIG. 200 205 207 208 210 100 110 120 130 140 140 141 142 143 140 200 207 208 As shown in, the serverincludes at least a communication device, an analysis unit, an analysis unit, and a remote controller. Each of the vehiclesincludes a vehicle control device, an actuator group, a communication device, and an external environment sensor. The external environment sensorhas three types of sensors, that is, an in-vehicle camera, a radar, and a LiDAR. Note that the external environment sensoris not limited to the three types of sensors and may have fewer than three types of sensors or four or more types of sensors. The serveris not limited to being constituted by a single device physically and may be constituted by a plurality of devices that is distributed. For example, the analysis units,may be constituted by a single device physically, or may be constituted by each of different devices.

200 205 321 322 100 500 205 321 322 100 100 In the server, the communication devicecommunicates with the surveillance cameras,and each of the vehiclesvia the network. For example, the communication devicereceives data, such as a captured image, from the surveillance cameras,or each of the vehicles, or transmits information related to vehicle control to each of the vehicles.

207 321 1 322 2 205 321 1 322 2 100 100 321 322 100 1 100 1 100 2 100 2 The analysis unitanalyzes each of the captured image obtained by the surveillance camerathat captures the area Aand the captured image obtained by the surveillance camerathat captures the area A. Specifically, the communication devicereceives data, such as a captured image, from each of the surveillance camerathat captures the area Aand the surveillance camerathat captures the area A. The analysis unit 207 specifies, for example, the shape of each of the vehiclesreflected in the captured image and the peripheral environment of each of the vehiclesby analyzing each of the received captured image obtained by the surveillance cameraand the received captured image obtained by the surveillance camera. As a result, it is possible to specify the position and the orientation of each of the vehiclesin the area A, the traveling state of each of the vehiclesin the area A, and the like. In addition, it is possible to specify the position and the orientation of each of the vehiclesin the area A, the traveling state of each of the vehiclesin the area A, and the like.

208 140 100 1 140 100 2 205 140 100 1 205 140 100 2 208 100 100 100 100 1 100 1 100 1 100 100 2 100 2 100 2 The analysis unitanalyzes each of the detection result of the external environment sensormounted on each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Aand the detection result of the external environment sensormounted on each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. Specifically, the communication devicereceives the detection result (data such as a captured image) of the external environment sensormounted on each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. In addition, the communication devicereceives the detection result (data such as a captured image) of the external environment sensormounted on each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. The analysis unitspecifies, for example, the shape of the vehicle in front (or behind) of each of the vehiclesand the peripheral environment of each of the vehiclesby analyzing the received detection result. As a result, it is possible to specify the inter-vehicle distance between each of the vehiclesand the vehicle in front (or behind) of each of the vehiclesin the area A, the position and the orientation of each of the vehiclesin the area A, the traveling state of each of the vehiclesin the area A, and the like. In addition, it is possible to specify the inter-vehicle distance between each of the vehiclesand the vehicle in front (or behind) of each of the vehiclesin the area A, the position and the orientation of each of the vehiclesin the area A, the traveling state of each of the vehiclesin the area A, and the like.

209 100 1 2 207 208 209 100 209 100 100 A surveillance unitsurveils each of the vehiclesmoving in the areas A, Abased on the analysis result of each of the analysis units,. For example, the surveillance unitsurveils whether each of the vehiclesis moving while a predetermined inter-vehicle distance is maintained. In addition, the surveillance unitsurveils whether each of the vehiclesis moving on a predetermined route and surveils whether a predetermined operation is being performed on each of the vehicles.

210 100 100 100 209 205 210 100 100 130 200 110 120 The remote controllerremotely controls each of the vehiclesby transmitting information related to vehicle control to each of the vehiclesbased on the surveillance result (including the position information of each of the vehicles) by the surveillance unit. Specifically, the communication devicetransmits the information related to a vehicle control instruction by the remote controllerto each of the vehicles. In each of the vehicles, the communication devicereceives the information related to the vehicle control from the server, and the vehicle control devicecauses the vehicle to travel by the control of the actuator groupin accordance with the received information related to the vehicle control.

100 1 140 141 142 143 100 1 141 100 1 141 141 Here, in particular, each of the vehiclesmoving in the outdoor area Ais easily affected by an external disturbance, such as strong wind or rain. Specifically, the external environment sensor(at least any one of the in-vehicle cameras, the radar, and the LiDAR) mounted on each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Amay be temporarily malfunctioning due to the influence of the external disturbance. As an example, the view of the in-vehicle cameramounted on each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Amay be blocked by rain, or the in-vehicle cameramay be severely shaken by strong wind, and thus the in-vehicle cameramay be temporarily malfunctioning.

209 140 100 1 140 100 1 209 140 209 140 100 1 140 100 The surveillance unitmay detect the malfunction of the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A(preferably, the malfunction of all the external environment sensorsof the vehiclesmoving in the area Amay be detected). In this case, the surveillance unitdetermines that the temporary malfunction is due to the influence of the external disturbance, such as the strong wind or the rain, rather than the failure of the external environment sensor. The surveillance unitmay have a function of detecting the malfunction of the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Aor may acquire a signal indicating the malfunction of the external environment sensorfrom each of the vehicles.

210 100 321 140 100 100 1 50 50 100 210 100 1 100 1 In this case, the remote controllercontinues to move the vehicleby remote control based on the captured image obtained by the surveillance camera(more specifically, the analysis result of the captured image) without using the detection result of the external environment sensorof each of the vehicles. The vehiclesare vehicles moving in the area A. As a result, in the vehicle management system, the productivity of the vehicle is improved, and the costs are reduced. That is, the vehicle management systemcan realize the appropriate management of the vehicles. At this time, the remote controllermay decrease the traveling speed of the vehiclesthat travel in the area Aor increase the inter-vehicle distance between the vehiclesthat travel in the area A.

209 100 1 140 100 1 141 142 143 140 100 1 210 100 1 321 140 100 210 100 1 100 1 The surveillance unitmay determine that each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Acan be continuously moved when the malfunction is detected in fewer than a predetermined number of types of sensors (for example, fewer than two types) among the sensors of the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. Three types of sensors, that is, the in-vehicle camera, the radar, and the LiDAR, are included in the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. In this case, the remote controllercontinues to move the vehiclesmoving in the area Aby remote control based on the detection result of the sensor in which the malfunction is not detected and the captured image obtained by the surveillance camera. The sensor in which the malfunction is not detected is included in the three types of sensors included in the external environment sensorof each of the vehicles. At this time, the remote controllermay decrease the traveling speed of the vehiclesthat travel in the area Aor increase the inter-vehicle distance between the vehiclesthat travel in the area A.

209 100 1 140 100 1 141 142 143 140 100 1 210 100 1 100 1 100 1 1 1 100 1 On the other hand, the surveillance unitmay determine that it is impossible to continuously move each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Awhen the malfunction is detected in equal to or more than the predetermined number of types of sensors (for example, two or more types) among the sensors of the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. Three types of sensors, that is, the in-vehicle camera, the radar, and the LiDAR, are included in the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. In this case, the remote controllerremotely controls the vehiclesmoving in the area Ato stop moving. The determination criterion for determining whether each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Acan be continuously moved or the traveling speed and the inter-vehicle distance of each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Amay be optionally decided according to the environment of the area A. For example, in a case where the entry of the operator is permitted in the area A, the determination criterion that each of the vehiclesduring the movement in the area Acan be continuously moved for safety may be strictly set.

50 140 100 140 140 100 1 50 100 1 321 1 50 100 As described above, the vehicle management systemaccording to the present disclosure determines that the malfunction of the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesis temporary due to an external disturbance, such as strong wind or rain, rather than a failure of the external environment sensorwhen the malfunction of the external environment sensoris detected. The vehiclesare vehicles moving in the area A. At this time, the vehicle management systemaccording to the present disclosure continues to move the vehiclesmoving in the area Awithout stopping the operation, based on the captured image obtained by the surveillance camerathat captures the area A. As a result, productivity of the vehicle is improved, and costs are reduced. That is, the vehicle management systemaccording to the present disclosure can realize the appropriate management of the vehicles.

209 140 100 140 100 1 209 140 100 1 140 1 2 210 100 140 100 100 In the present disclosure, when the surveillance unithas detected the malfunction of the external environment sensorof each of the vehicles, a case where the malfunction is determined as a temporary malfunction due to an influence of an external disturbance, such as strong wind or rain, rather than a failure of the external environment sensorhas been described as an example, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The vehiclesare vehicles moving in the area A. For example, even when the surveillance unithas detected the malfunction of the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in a predetermined area in which the external disturbance other than the area Ais likely to occur, the malfunction may be determined as a temporary malfunction due to the influence of the external disturbance, such as the strong wind or the rain, rather than the failure of the external environment sensor. The predetermined area in which the external disturbance other than the area Ais likely to occur includes the area A. In this case, the remote controllercontinues to move the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area by remote control based on the captured image obtained by the surveillance camera that captures the predetermined area (more specifically, the analysis result of the captured image). The movement is performed without using the detection result of the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area. The determination criterion for determining whether each of the vehiclescan be continuously moved may be set for each area.

209 100 140 100 141 142 143 140 100 210 100 140 100 210 100 321 210 100 100 Similarly, the surveillance unitmay determine that it is possible to continuously move each of the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area when the malfunction is detected in fewer than the predetermined number of types of sensors (for example, fewer than two types) among the external environment sensorsof each of the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area. Three types of sensors, that is, the in-vehicle camera, the radar, and the LiDAR, are included in the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area. In this case, the remote controllercontinues to move the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area by remote control based on the detection result of the sensor in which the malfunction is not detected among the three types of sensors included in the external environment sensorof each of the vehicles. In addition, the remote controllercontinues to move the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area by remote control based on the captured image obtained by the surveillance camera. At this time, the remote controllermay decrease the traveling speed of the vehiclesthat travel in the predetermined area or increase the inter-vehicle distance between the vehiclesthat travel in the predetermined area.

209 100 140 100 141 142 143 140 100 1 210 100 100 100 100 On the other hand, the surveillance unitmay determine that it is impossible to continuously move each of the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area when the malfunction is detected in equal to or more than the predetermined number of types of sensors (for example, two or more types) among the sensors of the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area. Three types of sensors, that is, the in-vehicle camera, the radar, and the LiDAR, are included in the external environment sensorof each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. In this case, the remote controllerremotely controls the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area to stop moving. The determination criterion for determining whether each of the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area can be continuously moved or the traveling speed and the inter-vehicle distance of each of the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area may be optionally decided according to the environment of the predetermined area. For example, in a case where the entry of the operator is permitted in the predetermined area, the determination criterion that each of the vehiclesduring the movement in the predetermined area can be continuously moved for safety may be strictly set.

50 140 100 100 100 210 100 100 1 100 140 100 1 140 140 Further, the vehicle management systemmay further include a database. The database stores a plurality of combinations of the operation status of the external environment sensorprovided in the vehicle, the area in which the vehiclemoves, and the control content of the operation of the vehicle. In this case, the remote controllerextracts the control content of the operation of each of the vehiclesfrom the database and remotely controls the operation of each of the vehiclesmoving in the area Ain accordance with the extracted control content. The control content of the operation of each of the vehiclesis a control content in accordance with the operation status of the external environment sensorprovided in each of the vehiclesmoving in the area A. The operation status of the external environment sensoris, for example, information on the presence or absence of the malfunction of each of one or more types of sensors included in the external environment sensor.

3 FIG. 3 FIG. 50 200 50 211 50 50 is a block diagram showing a control system of the vehicle management systemaccording to Embodiment 2. As shown in, the serverprovided in the vehicle management systemaccording to Embodiment 2 further includes an output unit. Since the other configurations of the vehicle management systemaccording to Embodiment 2 are the same as the configurations of the vehicle management systemaccording to Embodiment 1, the description thereof will be omitted.

4 FIG. 4 FIG. 50 209 140 100 1 209 140 100 1 140 140 211 140 211 140 1 100 140 100 210 100 140 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the vehicle management systemaccording to Embodiment 2. For example, in a case where the surveillance unitdetects the malfunction of a part of the external environment sensorsof the vehiclesmoving in the area A, the surveillance unitdetermines that the malfunction is not temporary due to the influence of the external disturbance, such as the strong wind or the rain, but the failure of the external environment sensoris highly likely. In the example of, a part of the vehiclesmoving in the area Ais one vehicle. The malfunction of the external environment sensorincludes the malfunction of a part of a plurality of types of sensors included in the external environment sensor. In this case, the output unitoutputs information indicating that there is a possibility of a failure in the external environment sensorin which the malfunction has been detected. The output unitoutputs the information indicating that there is a possibility of a failure in the external environment sensorin which the malfunction has been detected, as a voice output from a speaker, as a display on a monitor, or as a notification to a mobile terminal held by the operator of the area A. As a result, the operator can repair the vehicleequipped with the external environment sensorthat may fail or guide the vehicleto the evacuation place. Further, the remote controllermay remotely control the vehicleequipped with the external environment sensordetermined to be highly likely to fail to perform an emergency stop, to be evacuated to the evacuation place, or to travel on the detour route.

50 140 100 1 50 140 50 140 100 140 100 As described above, the vehicle management systemaccording to the present disclosure may detect the malfunction of a part of the external environment sensorsof the vehiclesmoving in the area A. In this case, the vehicle management systemaccording to the present disclosure determines that the malfunction is not temporary due to the influence of the external disturbance, such as the strong wind or the rain, but the failure of the external environment sensoris highly likely. At this time, the vehicle management systemaccording to the present disclosure outputs information indicating that there is a possibility of a failure in the external environment sensorin which the malfunction has been detected. As a result, the operator can repair the vehicleequipped with the external environment sensorthat may fail or guide the vehicleto the evacuation place.

209 140 100 1 209 140 209 140 100 1 140 1 2 211 140 210 100 140 140 In the present disclosure, the surveillance unitmay detect the malfunction of a part of the external environment sensorsof the vehiclesmoving in the area A. In this case, an example has been described in which the surveillance unitdetermines that the malfunction is not temporary due to the influence of the external disturbance, such as the strong wind or the rain, but the failure of the external environment sensoris highly likely, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, even when the surveillance unithas detected the malfunction of a part of the external environment sensorsof the vehiclesmoving in the predetermined area other than the area A, the malfunction may be determined as a malfunction that is not temporary due to the influence of the external disturbance, such as the strong wind or the rain, but the failure of the external environment sensoris highly likely. The predetermined area other than the area Aincludes the area A. In this case, the output unitoutputs information indicating that there is a possibility of a failure in the external environment sensorin which the malfunction has been detected. Further, the remote controllermay remotely control the vehicleequipped with the external environment sensordetermined to be highly likely to fail to perform an emergency stop, to be evacuated to the evacuation place, or to travel on the detour route. The determination criterion for determining whether the external environment sensoris failed may be set for each area.

100 50 Hereinafter, a traveling control example for controlling traveling of the vehiclewill be described in the systemrelated to the manufacturing of the vehicle including the vehicle management system according to the present disclosure.

5 FIG. 50 50 100 200 300 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of the systemin traveling control example 1. The systemincludes one or more vehiclesas a mobile object, the server, and one or more external sensors.

In addition, in a case where the mobile object is other than the vehicle, the expression of "vehicle" and "car" in the present disclosure can be replaced with "mobile object" as appropriate, and the expression of "travel" can be replaced with "move" as appropriate.

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 The vehicleis configured to travel via unmanned driving. The "unmanned driving" means driving that does not depend on a traveling operation of a passenger. The traveling operation means an operation related to at least any one of "traveling", "turning", and "stopping" of the vehicle. The unmanned driving is implemented by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside the vehicleor by autonomous control of the vehicle. The passenger who does not perform the traveling operation may get on the vehiclethat travels via the unmanned driving. Examples of the passenger who does not perform the traveling operation include a person who simply sits on a seat of the vehicleand a person who performs work different from the traveling operation, such as assembly, inspection, or operation of switches, in a state of getting on the vehicle. The driving via the traveling operation performed by the passenger may be referred to as "manned driving".

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 In the present specification, the "remote control" includes "complete remote control" in which all the operations of the vehicleare completely decided from the outside of the vehicle, and "partial remote control" in which a part of the operations of the vehicleare decided from the outside of the vehicle. In addition, "autonomous control" includes "complete autonomous control" in which the vehicleautonomously controls the operation of the vehiclewithout receiving any information from the device outside the vehicle. In addition, the "autonomous control" includes "partial autonomous control" in which the vehicleautonomously controls the operation of the vehicleusing the information received from the device outside the vehicle.

50 100 1 2 1 2 100 300 300 100 1 2 In the present embodiment, the systemis used in a factory FC that manufactures the vehicle. A reference coordinate system of the factory FC is a global coordinate system GC. That is, any position in the factory FC is represented by coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. The factory FC includes a first place PLand a second place PL. The first place PLand the second place PLare connected by a track TR on which the vehiclecan travel. A plurality of external sensorsis installed in the factory FC along the track TR. A position of each external sensorin the factory FC is adjusted in advance. The vehiclemoves via the unmanned driving from the first place PLto the second place PLalong the track TR.

6 FIG. 50 100 110 100 120 110 100 130 200 120 100 100 100 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system. The vehicleincludes the vehicle control devicefor controlling each part of the vehicleand the actuator groupincluding one or more actuators that are driven under the control of the vehicle control device. In addition, the vehicleincludes the communication devicefor communicating with an external device, such as the server, by wireless communication. The actuator groupincludes an actuator of a drive device for accelerating the vehicle, an actuator of a steering device for changing a traveling direction of the vehicle, and an actuator of a braking device for decelerating the vehicle.

110 111 112 113 114 111 112 113 114 120 130 113 111 1 112 115 The vehicle control deviceis configured by a computer including a processor, a memory, an input/output interface, and an internal bus. The processor, the memory, and the input/output interfaceare connected to be bidirectionally communicable with each other via the internal bus. The actuator groupand the communication deviceare connected to the input/output interface. The processorexecutes a program PGstored in the memoryto implement various functions including functions as a vehicle controller.

115 120 100 115 100 120 200 100 100 100 100 The vehicle controllercontrols the actuator groupto cause the vehicleto travel. The vehicle controllercan cause the vehicleto travel by controlling the actuator groupusing a traveling control signal received from the server. The traveling control signal is a control signal for causing the vehicleto travel. In the present embodiment, the traveling control signal includes the acceleration and a steering angle of the vehicleas parameters. In other embodiments, the traveling control signal may include a speed of the vehicleas the parameter instead of or in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle.

200 201 202 203 204 201 202 203 204 205 200 203 205 100 300 201 210 2 202 The serveris configured by a computer including a processor, a memory, an input/output interface, and an internal bus. The processor, the memory, and the input/output interfaceare connected to be bidirectionally communicable with each other via the internal bus. The communication devicefor communicating with various devices outside the serveris connected to the input/output interface. The communication devicecan communicate with the vehiclevia wireless communication and can communicate with each external sensorvia wired communication or wireless communication. The processorimplements various functions including a function as the remote controllerby executing a program PGstored in the memory.

210 120 100 210 100 100 210 100 210 210 207 208 209 210 2 FIG. The remote controlleracquires the detection result by the sensor and generates the traveling control signal for controlling the actuator groupof the vehicleby using the detection result. Further, the remote controllertransmits the traveling control signal to the vehicleto cause the vehicleto travel by the remote control. In addition, the remote controllermay generate, for example, a control signal for controlling various accessories provided in the vehicleor actuators for operating various kinds of equipment, such as a wiper, a power window, or a lamp, in addition to the traveling control signal, and output the generated control signal. That is, the remote controllermay operate the various kinds of equipment or the various accessories via the remote control. For example, the remote controllermay include a function of the analysis units,, or the surveillance unitshown separately from the remote controllerin.

300 100 300 100 100 300 200 300 321 322 2 FIG. The external sensoris a sensor located outside the vehicle. The external sensoraccording to the present embodiment is a sensor that captures the vehiclefrom the outside of the vehicle. The external sensorincludes a communication device (not shown), and can communicate with other devices, such as the server, via wired communication or wireless communication. The external sensorincludes the function of the surveillance cameras,shown in.

300 300 100 Specifically, the external sensoris configured by a camera. The camera as the external sensorcaptures a captured image including the vehicleand outputs the captured image as a detection result.

7 FIG. 7 FIG. 100 201 200 210 111 100 1 115 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of traveling control of the vehiclein the traveling control example. In the processing procedure of, the processorof the serverexecutes the program PG2 to function as the remote controller. In addition, the processorof the vehicleexecutes the program PGto function as the vehicle controller.

110 201 200 100 300 100 110 201 300 In S, the processorof the serveracquires the vehicle position information of the vehicleby using the detection result output from the external sensor. The vehicle position information is position information that is a basis for generating the traveling control signal. In the present embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and the direction of the vehiclein the global coordinate system GC of the factory FC. Specifically, in S, the processoracquires the vehicle position information by using the captured image acquired from the camera as the external sensor.

110 201 100 100 100 100 50 50 202 200 100 100 100 201 100 100 100 In detail, in S, the processoracquires the position of the vehicleby converting the calculated coordinates into the coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The calculation of the coordinates is performed, for example, by detecting the shape of the vehiclefrom the captured image and calculating the coordinates of the positioning point of the vehiclein the coordinate system of the captured image, that is, the local coordinate system. The outer shape of the vehicleincluded in the captured image can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured image to a detection model DM using artificial intelligence. The detection model DM is prepared, for example, inside the systemor outside the system, and is stored in advance in the memoryof the server. Examples of the detection model DM include a trained machine learning model that has been trained such that any one of semantic segmentation and instance segmentation is implemented. As the machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) that has been trained by supervised learning using a training data set can be used. The training data set has, for example, a plurality of training images including the vehicleand a label indicating whether each area in the training image is an area indicating the vehicleor an area indicating an area other than the vehicle. When the CNN is trained, it is preferable that parameters of the CNN are updated such that an error between an output result of the detection model DM and the label is reduced by backpropagation (error backpropagation method). In addition, the processorcan acquire the orientation of the vehicleby estimating based on the orientation of the movement vector of the vehiclecalculated from the position change of the feature point of the vehiclebetween the frames of the captured image. An optical flow method is used, for example.

120 201 200 100 100 202 200 201 100 201 100 In S, the processorof the serverdecides the target position to which the vehicleshould go next. In the present embodiment, the target position is represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. The reference route RR that is a route along which the vehicleshould travel is stored in advance in the memoryof the server. The route is represented by a node indicating a departure point, a node indicating a passing point, a node indicating a destination, and a link connecting each of the nodes. The processordecides the target position to which the vehicleshould head next by using the vehicle position information and the reference route RR. The processordecides the target position on the reference route RR ahead of the current position of the vehicle.

130 201 200 100 100 100 and 201 100 100 100 201 100 100 100 201 100 In S, the processorof the servergenerates the traveling control signal for causing the vehicleto travel toward the decided target position. The processor 201 calculates the traveling speed of the vehiclefrom the transition of the position of the vehiclecompares the calculated traveling speed with a target speed. As a whole, the processordecides the acceleration such that the vehicleis accelerated when the traveling speed is lower than the target speed and decides the acceleration such that the vehicleis decelerated when the traveling speed is higher than the target speed. In addition, when the vehicleis positioned on the reference route RR, the processordecides the steering angle and the acceleration such that the vehicledoes not deviate from the reference route RR. Further, in a case where the vehicleis not located on the reference route RR, in other words, in a case where the vehicledeviates from the reference route RR, the processordecides the steering angle and the acceleration such that the vehiclereturns to the reference route RR.

140 201 200 100 201 100 In S, the processorof the servertransmits the generated traveling control signal to the vehicle. The processorrepeatedly executes, at a predetermined cycle, the acquisition of the position of the vehicle, the decision of the target position, the generation of the traveling control signal, the transmission of the traveling control signal, and the like.

150 111 100 200 160 111 100 120 100 111 120 100 100 In S, the processorof the vehiclereceives the traveling control signal transmitted from the server. In S, the processorof the vehiclecontrols the actuator groupby using the received traveling control signal, to cause the vehicleto travel at the acceleration and the steering angle represented by the traveling control signal. The processorrepeatedly executes, at a predetermined cycle, the reception of the traveling control signal and control of the actuator group. With the system 50 according to the present embodiment, the vehiclecan be caused to travel by the remote control, and the vehiclecan move without using a transport facility, such as a crane or a conveyor.

8 FIG. 50 50 50 200 100 100 v v v v v is a description diagram showing a schematic configuration of a systemin the traveling control example 2. In the present embodiment, the systemis different from the traveling control example 1 in that the systemdoes not include the server. In addition, a vehiclein the configuration can travel by the autonomous control of the vehicle. Other configurations are the same as the configuration described above unless otherwise specified.

111 110 115 1 112 115 120 100 112 1 v v v v v v v In the present embodiment, a processorof a vehicle control devicefunctions as a vehicle controllerby executing the program PGstored in a memory. The vehicle controllercan acquire the output result of the sensor, generate the traveling control signal by using the output result, and output the generated traveling control signal to operate the actuator group, thereby causing the vehicleto travel via the autonomous control. In the present embodiment, the detection model DM and the reference route RR are stored in the memoryin addition to the program PG.

9 FIG. 9 FIG. 100 2 111 100 1 115 v v v v is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of traveling control of the vehiclein Example. In the processing procedure of, the processorof the vehicleexecutes the program PGto function as the vehicle controller.

210 111 110 300 220 111 100 230 111 100 240 111 120 100 111 50 100 100 200 100 v v v v v v v v v v v v v In S, the processorof the vehicle control deviceacquires the vehicle position information by using the detection result output from the camera that is the external sensor. In S, the processordecides the target position to which the vehicleshould go next. In S, the processorgenerates the traveling control signal for causing the vehicleto travel toward the decided target position. In S, the processorcontrols the actuator groupby using the generated traveling control signal, to cause the vehicleto travel in accordance with the parameters represented by the traveling control signal. The processorrepeatedly executes, at a predetermined cycle, the acquisition of the vehicle position information, the decision of the target position, the generation of the traveling control signal, and the control of the actuator. With the systemaccording to the present embodiment, the vehiclecan be caused to travel via the autonomous control of the vehiclewithout the need for the serverto remotely control the vehicle.

300 300 300 100 200 100 (YY1) In the example, the external sensoris a camera. However, the external sensorneed not be the camera, and may be, for example, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR). In this case, the detection result output by the external sensormay be three-dimensional point cloud data representing the vehicle. In this case, the serveror the vehiclemay acquire the vehicle position information via template matching using the three-dimensional point cloud data as the detection result, and reference point cloud data prepared in advance.

200 100 (YY2) In the traveling control example1, the serverexecutes the processing from the acquisition of the vehicle position information to the generation of the traveling control signal. On the other hand, the vehiclemay execute at least a part of the processing from the acquisition of the vehicle position information to the generation of the traveling control signal. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be used.

200 100 100 200 200 100 100 100 200 120 (1) The servermay acquire the vehicle position information, decide the target position to which the vehicleshould head next, and generate the route from the current position of the vehiclerepresented by the acquired vehicle position information to the target position. The servermay generate a route to the target position between the current position and the destination or may generate a route to the destination. The servermay transmit the generated route to the vehicle. The vehiclemay generate the traveling control signal for causing the vehicleto travel on the route received from the serverand control the actuator groupby using the generated traveling control signal.

200 100 100 100 100 100 100 120 (2) The servermay acquire the vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to the vehicle. The vehiclemay decide the target position to which the vehicleshould head next and generate the route from the current position of the vehiclerepresented by the received vehicle position information to the target position. In addition, the vehiclemay generate the traveling control signal such that the vehicletravels on the generated route and control the actuator groupby using the generated traveling control signal.

100 100 140 100 100 100 200 100 100 100 2 FIG. (3) In the forms (1) and (2), an internal sensor may be mounted on the vehicle, and a detection result output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of the generations of the route and the generation of the traveling control signal. The internal sensor is a sensor mounted on the vehicleand corresponds to the external environment sensorshown in. The internal sensor may include, for example, a sensor that detects a motion state of the vehicle, a sensor that detects an operation state of each unit of the vehicle, or a sensor that detects a surrounding environment of the vehicle. Specifically, the internal sensor may include, for example, a camera, a LiDAR, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasound sensor, a GPS sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor. For example, in the form (1), the servermay acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when the route is generated. In the form (1), the vehiclemay acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor to the traveling control signal when the traveling control signal is generated. In the form (2), the vehiclemay acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor to the route when the route is generated. In the form (2), the vehiclemay acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor to the traveling control signal when the traveling control signal is generated.

100 100 100 v v v (YY3) In the traveling control example 2, the internal sensor may be mounted on the vehicle, and the detection result output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of the generations of the route and the generation of the traveling control signal. For example, the vehiclemay acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor to the route when the route is generated. The vehiclemay acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor to the traveling control signal when the traveling control signal is generated.

100 300 100 100 100 100 100 120 100 300 100 100 50 100 50 100 v v v v v v v v v v v v v (YY4) In the traveling control example 2, the vehicleacquires the vehicle position information by using the detection result of the external sensor. On the other hand, the internal sensor may be mounted on the vehicle, and the vehiclemay acquire the vehicle position information by using the detection result of the internal sensor and decide the target position to which the vehicleshould go next. Further, the vehiclemay generate a route from the current position of the vehiclerepresented by the acquired vehicle position information to the target position, generate a traveling control signal for traveling on the generated route, and control the actuator groupby using the generated traveling control signal. In this case, the vehiclecan travel without using the detection result of the external sensorat all. The vehiclemay acquire a target arrival time or traffic jam information from the outside of the vehicleand reflect the target arrival time or the traffic jam information to at least one of the route and the traveling control signal. In addition, all of the functions of the systemmay be provided in the vehicle. That is, the processing implemented by the systemaccording to the present disclosure may be implemented by the vehiclealone.

5 200 100 200 100 100 200 300 100 200 (YY) In the traveling control example 1, the serverautomatically generates the traveling control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle. On the other hand, the servermay generate the traveling control signal to be transmitted to the vehiclein response to an operation of an external operator who is located outside the vehicle. For example, the external operator may operate a driving device including a display, a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the serverby wired communication or wireless communication. The display displays the captured image output from the external sensor. The steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal are for remotely operating the vehicle. In this case, the servermay generate the traveling control signal in accordance with the operation added to the driving device.

100 100 110 120 100 100 130 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 (YY6) In each of the traveling control examples, the vehiclemay be configured to move via the unmanned driving, and may be, for example, a platform having a configuration described below. Specifically, the vehicleneed solely include at least the vehicle control deviceand the actuator group, in order to exhibit the three functions of "traveling", "turning", and "stopping" via the unmanned driving. In a case where the vehicleacquires the information from the outside for the unmanned driving, the vehicleneed solely further include the communication device. That is, the vehicleconfigured to move via the unmanned driving need not be equipped with at least a part of interior components, such as a driver's seat and a dashboard. In addition, the vehicleconfigured to move via the unmanned driving may not have at least a part of the exterior components, such as the bumper or the fender, and may not have the body shell. In this case, the vehiclemay be equipped with the remaining components, such as the body shell, before the vehicleis shipped from the factory FC. Further, the vehiclemay be equipped with the remaining components, such as the body shell, after the vehicleis shipped from the factory FC in a state where the vehicleis not equipped with the remaining components, such as the body shell. Each of the components may be mounted from any direction, such as the upper side, the lower side, the front side, the rear side, the right side, or the left side of the vehicle, and may be mounted from the same direction or different directions. The position decision can be made for the form of the platform in the same manner as the vehicleaccording to the first embodiment.

100 100 100 100 100 (YY7) The vehiclemay be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. The module means a unit configured by a plurality of components assembled depending on the part or the function of the vehicle. For example, the platform of the vehiclemay be manufactured by combining a front module, a center module, and a rear module. The front module constitutes a front portion of the platform. The center module constitutes a center portion of the platform. The rear module constitutes a rear portion of the platform. In addition, the number of modules constituting the platform is not limited to three, and may be two or less or four or more. In addition to or instead of the components constituting the platform, the components constituting a portion of the vehiclethat is different from the platform may be modularized. In addition, various modules may include any exterior component, such as a bumper or a grille, or any interior component, such as a seat or a console. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the vehicle, a mobile object of any aspect may be manufactured by combining the modules. Such a module may be manufactured, for example, by joining the components via welding or a fastener, or may be manufactured by integrally molding at least a part of the components constituting the modules as one component via casting. A molding method of integrally molding one component, particularly a relatively large component, is also called giga casting or mega casting. For example, the front module, the center module, and the rear module may be manufactured by using giga casting.

100 100 100 100 100 (YY8) The transport of the vehicleusing the traveling of the vehiclevia the unmanned driving is also referred to as "autonomous transport". In addition, a configuration for implementing the autonomous transport is also referred to as "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transport system". Further, a production method of producing the vehicleby using the autonomous transport is also referred to as "autonomous production". In the autonomous production, for example, at the factory FC that manufactures the vehicle, at least a part of the transport of the vehicleis implemented by the autonomous transport.

(YY9) In each of the traveling control examples, a part or all of the functions and the processing that are software-implemented may be hardware-implemented. Further, a part or all of the functions and the processing that are implemented by hardware may be implemented by software. As the hardware for implementing various functions in each of the embodiments, for example, various circuits, such as an integrated circuit or a discrete circuit, may be used.

300 100 200 The present disclosure can realize a part or all of the processing in the external sensor, the vehicle, the server, and the like as follows. The present disclosure can be realized by executing a computer program on a central processing unit (CPU).

The program includes an instruction group (or software code) for causing a computer to execute one or more functions described in the embodiment in a case where the program is read into the computer. The program may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. Examples of the computer-readable medium or the tangible storage medium include a random-access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM). In addition, the computer-readable medium or the tangible storage medium includes a flash memory, a solid-state drive (SSD), or other memory technology, a CD-ROM, and a digital versatile disc (DVD). Further, the computer-readable medium or the tangible storage medium includes a blu-ray (registered trademark) disk or other optical disk storage, a magnetic cassette, a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage device. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium. Examples of the transitory computer-readable medium or the communication medium include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagating signals, but the transitory computer-readable medium or the communication medium is not limited to these examples.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure can be made to the configuration or the details of the present disclosure. Each embodiment can be appropriately combined with another embodiment.